Now That Is Really Good News!

Martin Luther, the great sixteenth-century theologian and Reformer emphasized that the good news of the gospel is that God has already decided to do something about our lives--whether we believe it or not.  He has sent his only Son to live and die for us, to be raised from the dead and sit at his right hand, all for our sake--but without us having any say in the matter.  That's really good news, and believing it is what makes all the difference in our lives.  For it is Christ who redeems us, makes us anew, and transforms us.  Our practical efforts to transform ourselves--our good works--are just not relevant to the task.  Our good works are for our neighbor and provide various outward disciplines that are needed to give order to our lives.  The inward transformation of our hearts, however, happens not through anything we try to do but through faith in the gospel, because that's how we receive Christ.  He is the one who really changes us.  

Excerpt From:
Phillip Cary, Good News for Anxious Christians(Brazos Press, 2010), ix-x.